Virginia Historical Society

TO SUPPORT THE CONSERVATION OF THE CHARLES HOFFBAUER MEMORIAL MILITARY MURAL CYCLE.

THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND CULTURE WILL INCREASE PUBLIC ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE BLACK EXPERIENCE IN VIRGINIA AND AMERICA BY CATALOGING, DIGITIZING, AND PROVIDING PUBLIC ACCESS TO HISTORIC IMAGES AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL ARTIFACTS. IN RESPONSE TO THE IMPACT OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ON THE HEALTH, WEALTH, AND SAFETY INEQUALITIES FACED BY BLACK AMERICANS, THE MUSEUM HAS DESIGNED THIS PROJECT TO CREATE NEW PATHWAYS FOR DIGITAL INCLUSION AND INCREASED ACCESS TO COLLECTIONS AND STORIES REPRESENTING THE BLACK COMMUNITY. A COLLECTIONS-SHARING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE MUSEUM AND THE BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER OF VIRGINIA WILL HELP MAKE THESE ITEMS BROADLY AVAILABLE. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO ENABLE THE MUSEUM TO PRESERVE CURRENT STAFF POSITIONS AND MOVE THIS PARTNERSHIP FORWARD. FOLLOWING COLLECTIONS PROCESSING AND DIGITIZATION, A CROSS-DIVISIONAL TEAM WILL IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH.

REOPENING THE OLDEST MUSEUM IN VIRGINIA POST PANDEMIC TO PROVIDE NEEDED STATE-WIDE EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR K-12 TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. [THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESULTED IN THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF HISTORY & CULTURE CLOSING ITS DOORS TO ITS COMMUNITY IN MARCH 2020. DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THE MUSEUM'S ATTENDANCE DROPPED 72% OVERALL, SAW STUDENT PARTICIPATION (IN HOUSE AND ONLINE) DROP 55%, AND PROGRAM AND EVENT PARTICIPATION DROP 80%. THIS DECREASE IN PARTICIPATION HAS AFFECTED EARNED INCOME DRAMATICALLY SO THAT NEW EMPLOYEES COULD NOT BE HIRED IN KEY POSITIONS AND PURCHASING NEW EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO PROVIDE VIRTUAL AND DIGITAL PROGRAMMING WAS PUT ON HOLD. THE NEH ARA GRANT WOULD ALLOW THE VMHC TO MOVE FORWARD WITH REOPENING BY PROVIDING THE NECESSARY STAFF AS WELL AS EQUIPMENT TO ENGAGE OUR PATRONS WHILE ASSISTING TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WITH QUALITY PROGRAMING IN HISTORY EDUCATION BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUALLY AS WE APPROACH THE NATION'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY.] [PURPOSE: TO MITIGATE THE DAMAGES WROUGHT BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AND ALLOW THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF HISTORY & CULTURE TO REOPEN BY PROVIDING STAFF AND EQUIPMENT TO ENGAGE ITS PATRONS AND ASSIST TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WITH QUALITY PROGRAMING AS THE NATION APPROACHES ITS 250TH ANNIVERSARY. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE RECIPIENT WILL USE GRANT FUNDS FOR THE RETENTION OF EDUCATIONAL STAFF IN ORDER TO PROVIDE PROGRAMMING IN-PERSON AND ON ITS VIRTUAL PLATFORM, AND TO PURCHASE THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT FOR OVERALL ENHANCEMENTS AND EXPANSION OF ITS DIGITAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES. ITS EDUCATION SERVICES ARE BUILT ON FOUR FOUNDATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND SPECIFIC GRANT ACTIVITIES WILL BE DIRECTED TO EACH. THESE ACTIVITY AREAS ARE (1) TEACHER INSTITUTES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN THE ANALYTICAL ABILITIES OF K-12 TEACHERS, INCLUDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL SHOWCASE RECENTLY REOPENED GALLERIES AND NEW EXHIBITIONS; (2) HISTORYCONNECTS, AN ONLINE PROGRAM FOR PREK-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS THAT DRAWS ON THE MUSEUM'S HISTORIC COLLECTION AND ALIGNS WITH THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S STANDARDS OF LEARNING; (3) IN-PERSON STUDENT PROGRAMS THAT ALLOW EDUCATORS TO CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF FIELD TRIPS AND OTHER PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON THEMES FOUND IN VIRGINIA'S STANDARDS OF LEARNING; AND (4) VIRGINIA HISTORY DAY. THE RECIPIENT HOSTS VIRGINIA'S NATIONAL HISTORY DAY PROGRAM, WHICH REACHES MORE THAN 7,000 STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE RECIPIENT WILL FOCUS ON CONDUCTING PROGRAMS AND REINTRODUCING TEACHERS AND STUDENTS TO THE MUSEUM'S NEWLY REVITALIZED ONSITE FIELD TRIP AND DIGITAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES. TWO ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE HOSTED TO SHOWCASE RECENTLY REOPENED GALLERIES AND NEW EXHIBITIONS THAT WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FIELD TRIPS. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: PRIMARY BENEFICIARIES WILL BE THE SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO VISIT THE MUSEUM, WHICH THE RECIPIENT REPORTS AS MORE THAN 12,000 PER YEAR PRIOR TO THE CURRENT PANDEMIC. THE NUMBERS FOR STUDENT BENEFICIARIES OF ONLINE PROGRAMS WHO WILL ALSO BENEFIT ARE POTENTIALLY EXPONENTIALLY HIGHER. SECONDARY BENEFICIARIES ARE GENERAL VISITORS TO THE MUSEUM, REPORTED AS MORE THAN 106,000 PRE-PANDEMIC, AND ONLINE ACCESSORS OF THE MUSEUM'S PROGRAMS, WHICH AGAIN COULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER. ADDITIONALLY, VIRGINIA'S NATIONAL HISTORY DAY PROGRAM REACHES MORE THAN 7,000 STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS.]

VIRGINIA AND THE FOUNDING OF A NATION: EXAMINING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ON THE EVE OF THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY [THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF HISTORY & CULTURE (VMHC) WILL PROVIDE WORKSHOPS TO EDUCATORS IN GRADES K-12 FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO LEARN ABOUT VIRGINIA?S ROLE IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BY VISITING HISTORICAL SITES AND LANDMARKS, DISCUSSING TEACHING STRATEGIES, AND ANALYZING PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS. EDUCATORS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE VAST COLLECTIONS AT VMHC, AS WELL AS ?GIVE ME LIBERTY: VIRGINIA AND THE FORGING OF A NATION? ? A GROUNDBREAKING EXHIBIT SERVING AS THE OFFICIAL STATE EXHIBITION FOR THE VIRGINIA 250TH EFFORT, AND CO-CURATED BY BOTH VMHC AND THE JAMESTOWN-YORKTOWN FOUNDATION. WITH SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON A SERIES OF ANNIVERSARIES STARTING IN 1775 AND EXTENDING INTO THE FOLLOWING DECADE, EDUCATORS WILL BE PREPARED TO TACKLE THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEAR FULLY ARMED WITH NEW KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES RELATED TO TEACHING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.]

LEE AND GRANT EXHIBITION

TO SUPPORT A NEW HISTORIC CRAFTS FESTIVAL.

BUSINESS HISTORY COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION PROJECT

REHOUSING THE SMALL OBJECTS IN THE GENERAL MUSEUM COLLECTION AT THE VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

STARTING LOCALLY, THINKING GLOBALLY: RECORDS OF VIRGINIA-BASED BUSINESSES IN THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY